Fast beauty and style tricks for women 50+

In her neo-feminist book “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead,” Facebook COO Sheryly Sandberg, 43 encourages women to push through fear, skip people pleasing and take more risks. Duh. Thanks Sheryl, but we, the largest, most powerful group of women 50+ ever in history, already know that. Thanks to early mentoring by heavy hitters like Gloria Steinem and Helen Gurley Brown, we are expert negotiators who rival Oprah for chutzpah and have a special gene that allows …

Good move Michelle O! Instead of buying a sports car or bungee-jumping at birthday 49, you freaked out and cut statement bangs. Well, it is a cheap, risk-free alternative. Bangs are the secret of the universe. Here’s why: they divert attention away from a saggy jaw or stringy neck, they hide skimpy, over-plucked brows, they cover forehead frown lines and make us look happy, they disguise a thinning hairline, they dress up your face when you pull back your hair …

No one loves Downton Abbey more than us. The last episode just aired and we’re already having withdrawal symptoms. We’re infatuated with the take-me-away storyline, the cliff-hanging relationships, the Maggie Smith zingers and last but not least the romantic feminine looks. Not a leather jacket, legging or nail decal in sight. Instead Elizabeth McGovern, 51, as Cora, Countess of Gratham and Shirley MacLaine, 78, as mom Martha Levinson make us crave Twenties inspired chemises, floaty blouses, low heels and bobs. …

A new year and we’ve got good intentions: we’re going to exercise more, eat healthier, and update our looks to stay in the game. Uh-huh. It’s not that these things don’t work, they do. But even the thought of all that extra effort when we’re already multi-tasking 24/ 7 stresses us out. Three small changes you can do in five minutes or less can undo a year of gym slacking, de-railed diets and lazy self-maintenance. Start now : GET A …